Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Ayush, has been granted a one-year extension on a contractual basis. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (May 20, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of his tenure beyond June 28, 2025, up to June 28, 2026.
This marks his fourth extension in the role.
Kotecha is among a select group of lateral entrants appointed by the Centre for their subject-matter expertise. Breaking with the tradition of appointing career bureaucrats to such roles, the government had brought him in as Special Secretary in 2017. He was later elevated to the position of Secretary in the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).
He received two-year extensions in 2020 and 2022, followed by a one-year extension in June 2024, which was set to expire in June 2025.
Prior to his appointment in the ministry, Kotecha served as the chief consultant at Chakrapani Ayurveda Clinic in Jaipur.
The Ministry of Ayush was established on November 9, 2014, with the objective of revitalizing India’s traditional systems of medicine and promoting education and research in these disciplines.
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